December 6/First Saturday of Advent
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few, so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.” ~ Matt 9.36-38
However one translates the Greek participles in today’s Gospel — “troubled and abandoned,” “harassed and helpless,” or “weakened and cast down” — it is clear that the crowds milling about Jesus like lost sheep need healing and direction. And so do we. In our lives, as we grapple with a fractious society, political turmoil, and a murky economic outlook, not to mention whatever personal and private ills beset us, we might all identify at some point as eklelumenoi and errimenoi — and I’ll go with “harassed and helpless,” as the most apt. Because in addition to feeling beset with anxiety, we may also feel powerless in a volatile and often incomprehensible world. That’s when we would do well to start behaving less like lost sheep and more like disciples of Jesus. We might prefer to stay on the sidelines wringing our hands at the state of the world, or sharing our opinions on social media. But if we truly want to help bring in the harvest, we need to get off the phones and into the fields to lend a hand. Offering a co-worker our assistance with a project, listening to a troubled teenager or a lonely older person, even gently declining to engage in divisive political discussions with family members or friends – these might not feel earth-shaking or world-changing, but they matter, nonetheless. Every small act of kindness and love we perform, no matter how mundane, contributes to the sum of good in the world. As we stretch out our souls in prayer during these days of preparation, let us strive to be, as British mystic Evelyn Underhill put it, “the assistants of that Good Shepherd who gives His life for the sheep.”
Almighty God, Grant that I may pick up my plowshare and wield my pruning hook to help bring in the harvest of love that you have seeded in the world. Amen.
For today’s readings, click here: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/120625.cfm
To hear Saint Clement’s Choir, Philadelphia, sing the classic hymn “Come, Labor On,” click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tuiZnjh5Ts
